1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to gas meter servicing of residential and commercial property and, more particularly, to a bypass valve for providing uninterrupted gas service to a residence or commercial building while the gas meter is being serviced or replaced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gas meters require replacing for a variety of reasons, such as due to unreliability of a particular gas meter or due to damage to a gas meter which results in its malfunction. Gas meters are also required to be changed out, regardless of their performance, after a predetermined period of time dictated by governmental regulation. The typical time period of such a required change-out typically ranges from ten to fifteen years.
These gas meter change-outs have posed a longstanding problem for gas companies in that such change-outs require the gas meter to be disconnected from the gas service line leading to, for example, the appliances in a residence. This disconnection will result in a temporary interruption of the gas flow to the corresponding residence, which will cause the pilot lights of the gas appliances in the residence to be extinguished. Normal procedure then requires a gas company employee to gain entrance to the residence and manually relight all of the pilot lights. There is therefore a need to provide a continuous gas supply to, for instance, residential appliances while the gas meter is disconnected from the gas service line. The present invention addresses such a need.
A number of devices have been proposed to provide for uninterrupted flow of gas to residential appliances while the gas meter is being serviced. By way of example, forms of such devices can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,148,690, 5,042,528, 5,178,188, and 5,287,886.
The above mentioned prior devices, while intended to provide continual gas flow, all suffer some disadvantage. For example, one such method described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,690, commonly referred to as the Grunsky method, employs a plastic bag to be fitted over a tee connecting the meter to the gas service line which conducts gas to the residence. A plug in the uncoupled end of the tee is removed, and an external cylinder must be moved through the bag to be connected to the tee in order to allow access for an external gas source to inject gas into the gas service line. This method has proven to be time-consuming, painstaking, and expensive.
Another method illustrated in the above-mentioned prior devices is to access the uncoupled end of a tee and manually drive a seal through the tee to seat against the end of the tee leading to the gas meter thereby sealing off the gas meter while providing gas from an external gas source. This method is time consuming and allows for momentary gas escape when the uncoupled end of the tee is initially unplugged thus resulting in a temporary lapse in gas supply to the appliances, which will serve to extinguish the associated pilot lights.
Yet another method set forth in the prior devices, although new and not commonly accepted, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,188, in which a sleeve having a side port formed thereon is placed vertically in-line with the gas service line on the customer's side of the gas meter. Disposed within the sleeve adjacent the lower end is a ball check valve that has placed therein a ball which is free to move within the ball check valve. Thus when gas is flowing into the lower end of the sleeve, the ball is repelled from the lower end and the gas will flow around the ball and downstream to the appliances in the corresponding residence. When an external source is connected to the side port and begins to inject gas into the sleeve, then the gas meter supply may be shut off and, due to gravity, the ball will fall toward and contact and seal the lower end such that gas will flow from the external source to the appliances, while the gas meter may be disconnected from the gas service line. This method has several limitations, however. In the first place, the sleeve must be situated in a vertical orientation in order to function properly, due to the fact that it requires gravity in order to have the ball drop toward and effectively seal the lower end. Secondly, the ball is continually driven into the ball check valve walls which over time will alter its shape and thus its effectiveness in sealing the lower end. Such alteration will require replacement of either the ball or of the entire sleeve thus causing a lapse in gas flow to the appliances which will serve to extinguish the pilot lights thereof, which is the exact problem such a device is implemented to alleviate. Also, the sleeve has a separate mechanism to keep gas which flows into the lower end from flowing out of the side port, which means that the external plug provided to seal the side port may be removed by unauthorized individuals and gas may be withdrawn and thereby stolen from gas service lines through such a device.
As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for an apparatus which will allow for the disconnecting of the gas meter from the gas service line leading to the corresponding residence while never interrupting the gas flow to the residence, and which furthermore may be used in any orientation, will be long lasting, and which will not create an access means for unauthorized withdrawal of gas. The instant invention addresses such needs.